1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cellular radio communication. More specifically, this invention relates to a cellular radio communication system including a repeated pattern of three cells.
2. Description of Related Art
In a wireless communication system it is generally necessary for a receiver to distinguish between those signals in its operating region that it should accept and those it should reject. A common method in the art is frequency division (FDMA) in which a separate frequency is assigned to each communication channel. Another common method in the art is time division (TDMA), in which a separate timeslot in a periodic time frame is assigned to each communication channel.
One problem which has arisen in the art is that contiguous coverage of a large area using radio communication has required a cellular configuration with a large number of cells, and thus with only a small number of frequencies available per cell. In an FDMA system, all relatively proximate cells, not just adjacent cells, must operate on different frequencies, and frequencies may be reused only sufficiently far away that stations using those frequencies no longer interfere. In general, with homogenous conditions and equal-power transmitters, the distance between perimeters of like-frequency cells must be at least two to three times the diameter of a single cell. This had led to a seven-cell configuration now in common use for cellular networks.
Another problem which has arisen in the art when the cells are disposed in a three-dimensional configuration, particularly in low-power applications where many transmitters are in close proximity. In addition to avoiding interference from close transmitters, these systems may require complex techniques for handing off mobile stations from one cell to another, and for reassigning unused frequencies. This makes the physical location of each cell's central station critical, and thus requires careful coordination of an entire communication system layout.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,000 exemplifies the art.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a wireless communication system including a pattern having a reduced number of cells. Other and further objects of this invention are to provide a communication system which is less complex, which allows for reduced cell size, which can easily be extended from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional configuration, which can reject interference, and which allows independent installation of multiple communication systems.